Approximately 20 Soldiers and Airmen from Joint Task Force-Bravo at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, deployed to Belize City, Belize, as part of an initial assessment team following Hurricane Dean Aug 21. The team comprises a security detail, medics, engineers, search and rescue assets and communications specialists. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sonny Cohrs)

Maj. Jason Clark uses a satellite phone to contact Joint Task Force-Bravo headquarters at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, shortly after touching down at Belize City, Belize. Approximately 20 Soldiers and Airman from Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, deployed here as part of an initial assessment team following Hurricane Dean Aug 21. Major Clark is the operations officer for the tactical operations center. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sonny Cohrs)

Tech. Sgt. Russell Fairbanks (left) and Capt. Ernesto Garcia set up a broadband global access network system shortly after landing at Belize City, Belize, to establish Internet and e-mail access for communication with Joint Task Force-Bravo at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. The two are part of a group of approximately 20 Soldiers and Airmen deployed here to provide an initial assessment of the country following Hurricane Dean Aug. 21. Sergeant Fairbanks and Captain Garcia are assigned to J6 Communications at Soto Cano AB. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sonny Cohrs)

Army Sgt. Barry Baptiste loads cargo onto a trailer with the help of soldiers from the Belizean Defense Force in Belize City, Belize, Aug. 21. Sergeant Baptiste is here with approximately 20 U.S. Soldiers and Airmen serving on an initial assessment team following the landfall of Hurricane Dean. He is a fuels specialist assigned to the 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sonny Cohrs)

Members of the Belizean Defense Force board a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter in Belize City, Belize, to be transported to other areas within the country following the landfall of Hurricane Dean here Aug. 21. The Chinook, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, transported approximately 20 U.S. Soldiers and Airmen here as part of an initial assessment team following the hurricane. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sonny Cohrs)

Tech. Sgt. Heather Prater reviews the video captured after flying on a survey mission to assess damage in Belize City, Belize, caused by Hurricane Dean Aug. 21. Sergeant Prater is here with approximately 20 U.S. Soldiers and Airmen serving on an initial assessment team following the landfall of the hurricane. She is a civil engineer deployed from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sonny Cohrs)

8/22/2007 - BELIZE CITY, Belize (AFPN) -- Approximately 20 Soldiers and Airmen from Joint Task Force-Bravo at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, deployed here as part of an initial assessment team following Hurricane Dean Aug 21.

The team members were transported via three Army helicopters. The team is made up of a security detail, medics, engineers, search and rescue assets and communications specialists.

Upon arrival, task force personnel took Belizean Defense Force and American Embassy officials on a two-hour flight to survey the damage from the storm.

"We went north to Corozal and surveyed the damage along the coast," said Army Maj. Michael Angell, task force commander for the mission.

"We flew around that town, a couple of other villages, and stopped to pick up three Belizean Defense Force medics and transport them to another location," he said.

Based the initial assessment from the flight, Major Angell said damage to the country's infrastructure was minimal.

"One village had a lot of roofs blown off, billboards blown over, and that was the extent of the damage," he said.

Tech. Sgt. Heather Prater, a civil engineer deployed from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., flew on the mission with an automated route reconnaissance kit, or ARRK, to capture video of the potentially damaged areas.

"There was some flooding and trees uprooted," she said, "but even up around the coast it looks good."

During the flight, Sergeant Prater used a hand-held video camera to capture the route of the helicopter. Later, after downloading the data from the ARRK system, she was able to provide detailed photos and video that correlated to a global positioning system location, pinpointing the damage on the map.

Although there wasn't a lot of structural damage that he saw, the major said the damage to the crops from the wind and flooding could be substantial.

"Agriculturally, they took a huge hit," he said, referring to the extensive damage to the sugar cane fields and papaya crop Belize is known for.

During the mission aboard one of the helicopters from the 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment at Soto Cano, the surveyors also were able to transport three Belizean medics to a nearby village.

A separate mission aboard another helicopter, also from the 1/228th, transported 26 Belizean Defense Force infantrymen to some of the outer lying areas that have no police or fire/rescue forces, said Major Angell.

The team was slated to fly another survey mission Aug. 22 to determine the other areas that may have potential damage.

"We're going to make more assessments in the morning and make the determination of what assets we need," Major Angell said. "We'll continue to support until they tell us we're no longer needed."

Comment on this news story by using the comment box below. All comments are reviewed before being posted. Content managers may edit them for grammar and length. While we encourage an open and back and forth dialog between our site visitors, content managers reserve the right to not publish comments that are considered personal attacks or insults. Messages that advertise a product, group or web site will not be posted.

We require a valid e-mail address to complete the process. However, we will not publish the e-mail address. If you are looking for a response to a question please use our feedback page to contact us. Click on the link on the footer of this page that says "Contact Us".

The opinions expressed in the following comments do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Air Force.